A Midsummer Night's Dream - Act 2 Journal Topics

A Midsummer Night’s Dream - Act 2 Journal Topics

Please pick one journal topic and answer that topic using complete sentences.  Use evidence from the play when appropriate.

1. Puck possesses the magic flower that has the power to make someone fall in love with the first person he or she sees.  What would you do with such a flower?  Write the different ways you could use this flower for fun, pranks, or to heal broken hearts.  Choose one scenario and write a dialogue between the lover and the recipient.

2. “Be it cat, or bear, or boar with bristled hair...wake when something vile is near.”  These words are spoken by Oberon out of spite and jealousy as he places the “love potion” on Titania’s eyelids.  How do you feel about Oberon playing this trick to get what he wants?  Have you ever tried to manipulate someone to get what you wanted?  How did you feel, and what were the consequences of your actions?

3. Pretend you are one of the fairies attending to Titania’s sleep.  Write a lullaby for the queen using images from nature that are soft, soothing, and serene.  Include metaphors and similes that complement your wooded surroundings.  Remember, you must impress the queen!

4. Oberon plans for Demetrius to fall in love with Helena, but it is Lysander who awakens bewitched.  We’ve all had experiences where something we planned didn’t work out how we wanted.  While Oberon had the magic flower to remedy his situation, real life doesn’t offer such simple solutions.  Write about a time when something didn’t work out for you as planned.  What caused your plans to fail?  Did things eventually turn out better or worse?  Looking back, is there another plan of action you could have taken?  If you had the magic flower to fix your situation, how would you have used it?

5. Though it is clear Demetrius loves Hermia and not Helena, Helena continues to pursue him.  Even after Demetrius tells Helena he will leave her alone in the woods “at the mercy of the wild beasts,” she still follows him.  Human nature sometimes makes us want things we can’t have.  Why do you think not being able to have something makes it more desirable?

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Act 1 Journal Topics

A Midsummer Night’s Dream - Act 1 Journal Topics

Please pick one journal topic and answer that topic using complete sentences.  Use evidence from the play when appropriate. Make sure to use your blog number when entering your comments (blog as Anonymous too). Your blog number will be M for Munsterman, your language arts class period, and your Chromebook number. Ex. M912

1. According to Lysander, “The course of true love never did run smooth.”  Agree or disagree with this quote by providing supporting evidence from the play, real life, TV shows, songs, and/or movies.

2. Helena tells her best friend’s secret to Demetrius - that Hermia and Lysander are eloping.  Was it wrong of her to do this?  Write about a time you told a secret.  How did you feel?  Did the person whose secret you told find out?  What were the consequences of this act?

3. Hermia and Lysander believe they have no choice except to run away together so they can get married.  Discuss the pros and cons of running away from a problem.  What would you do in Hermia’s and Lysander’s situation?  Do you think they’re making the right choice?  What are some other options they could consider, if any?

4. Hermia takes control over her life when she refuses to marry Demetrius and runs away with Lysander.  Helena, on the other hand, follows Demetrius, hoping he will return her affections after hearing of the elopement.  Discuss these two women according to their decisions.  Is it better to make your own fate or trust that things will eventually turn out the way you want them?  What do Hermia’s and Helena’s actions reveal about their personalities?

5. Hermia takes a big risk by running away with Lysander.  Under Athenian law, she could be put to death by disobeying her father!  Write a letter from either Hermia or Lysander to Egeus, Hermia’s father, trying to convince him to let Hermia and Lysander marry.  In the play, Demetrius had formerly “wooed” Helena, and then deserted her.  Can this information be used as a way to make Egeus realize that perhaps Lysander is a better match for his daughter?